Weekend Seminar: "What is the importance of refuge for 21st century westerners?"

This weekend we will examine the importance of the Buddhist practice of refuge especially from a western point of view. Is refuge still relevant in our materialistic society? Or now more than ever? And how to deal with our non-Buddhist environment? How can we meaningfully translate the rules of conduct originating from taking refuge and how can they enrich our lives?

The seminar is open for everyone interested and will consist of short lectures, impulses for translating the theory into practice, group discussions and silent and guided meditations.

1st weekend seminar: "What is the importance of refuge for 21st century westerners?" This first wekend seminar is well suited to get an idea of the topic or just to have a try!Time: Sat, 20 January, 9:30 – 18:00 / Sun, 21 January, 9:30 – 14:00

The weekly meetings are organised and guided by Christine Schnitzer. We will deepen our understanding through readings and discussions, guided and quiet meditation, audio and video teachings. There will be plenty of time for the exchange of knowledge and experience among the participants.Time: every Wednesday, 19:00 – 21:00Dates: 1/2, 8/2, 15/2, 22/2, 1/3, 8/3, 15/3, 22/3, and 29/3

Native Italian, Francesca Paoletti was educated as an environmental engineer. In 2010 she took a career break to deepen her Dharma understanding and complete the FPMT residential Basic Program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy and to earn the Master in Wisdom accreditation from the University of Pisa. At this time she also served as interpreter for several Western Dharma teachers and wrote an essay on the relation between environmental awareness and Buddhist ethics.

Francesca currently lives in Germany and runs a consulting business, while attending the FPMT online Master’s Program and tutoring Dharma study groups. Her main areas of interest are the application of Dharma in everyday life and intercultural issues in the transmission of the Dharma to a Western setting. She is a certified facilitator for the secular study program The Art of Fulfilment, a project of the Foundation for Development of Compassion and Wisdom.